3 8 1
by Kharma
Summary: Gil and Catherine have a conversation


Disclaimer: I wish people would stop asking me if they belong to me, because they don't and it's just not fair.  
  
Notes: Dedicated to the guys and girls over at the Graveshift group who not only feed my addiction for wonderful G/C fics but also understand when I need to vent about the injustice of living in a house where everyone but me is a G/S fan.  
  
Rating: I don't know, G?  
  
3 8 1  
  
Catherine Willows was walking down the corridor in the CSI building when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and pull her into one of the layout rooms, making her yelp in surprise.  
  
She turned around to find her boss and best friend, Gil Grissom, standing there and smiling.  
  
"Jesus, Grissom," she snapped. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack? You scared the crap out of me."  
  
"Sorry Cath," he said, totally unrepentant. "But I needed to talk to you."  
  
She looked around her confused. "Why in here? What's wrong with your office?"  
  
"Anyone can walk into my office, we've got total privacy in here."  
  
Catherine smiled and leaned back against the closed door. "And what do we need privacy for?" she asked.  
  
"So I could talk to you without getting interrupted every five minutes," he explained as he reached around her and locked the door.  
  
"Um, Grissom?" Catherine asked, suddenly nervous and not entirely sure why. "Why did you lock the door?"  
  
He sighed in exasperation. "Look Cath, are you going to let me tell you what I need to or are you going to stand there and ask me questions?"  
  
"Jeez, Grissom. Don't get your boxers in a bunch, I was only asking," Catherine said as she walked away from him and sat on the edge of the table.  
  
Neither of them said anything for a few moments and then Catherine looked up and smiled at him. "Okay, talk. I'm ready to listen."  
  
He coughed to clear his throat, suddenly nervous. "How long have we been friends, Cath?"  
  
She thought for a second and then smiled. "It's been a long time, about fifteen years. Why?"  
  
"I realised something today, Catherine. I realised that I honestly can't remember a time when you weren't a part of my life and that made me realise something else." He stopped speaking and looked at her and she could see everything that he wanted to say to her in his eyes and she smiled as she fought back the tears that threatened to fall.  
  
"What, um, what else was it that you realised?" she asked, hoping that she knew the answer but needing to hear him say the words.  
  
He looked away from her, suddenly feeling very unsure of himself. "I don't know how to say what I need to, Cath," he finally admitted.  
  
"Okay, looks like it's up to you," she thought as she jumped off the table and walked over to where he was still standing in front of the door. "If you're having trouble with the words, then forget about them," she said with a shrug. "And just concentrate on the numbers."  
  
Grissom was confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about Catherine. What do numbers have to do with anything?"  
  
Catherine attempted to explain it to him. "Well, you see, words can be taken the wrong word depending on who's speaking them and who's listening. But numbers, they mean one thing and one thing only. So if words don't work, then use the numbers." She smiled when she saw he was still confused. "3 8 1, Grissom."  
  
"3 8 1?"  
  
Catherine moved until she was standing directly in front of him and touched his cheek. "3 words, 8 letters and 1 meaning."  
  
"I still don't get it," he said but he was smiling.  
  
Catherine cupped his face in her hands and pulled it down to hers. "I," she said as kissed him on the forehead. "Love," another kiss, this time on the tip of his nose, which made him, smile. "You!" she breathed just before she finally brushed his lips with her own. The kiss was feather- light and as soft as the wings of the butterflies that Grissom liked so much, but the few seconds that it lasted held a lifetime of love.  
  
Grissom looked down at the woman in front of him and wondered why it had taken him fifteen years to realise that he had loved her since the day that they had met. Reaching out to brush a strand of hair off her face, he smiled and pulled her into his arms. "I love you, Catherine," he whispered before he kissed her for the second time.  
  
They only broke apart when Grissom's pager suddenly went off, making them both jump. He glanced down at it and groaned. "Remind me to kill Greg later," he said which made Catherine giggle.  
  
She stepped away from him and went to unlock the door; she was just about to open it when she felt a hand on her wrist. "Wait, Cath," Grissom said.  
  
"What?" she said, turning around to face him.  
  
"Do you want to tell the others about us?" he asked.  
  
"Do you?"  
  
He smiled. "You know, I think I do. We wasted too many years, I don't want to waste any more time."  
  
Catherine softly kissed him, stepping away before it could go any further and smiled. "Come on," she said, taking his hand. "We're wanted in the lab."  
  
They walked out of the room and met with Greg in the lab, who proceeded to tell them in great detail about the latest results. When he was finished, Grissom turned to go back to his office but stopped in the doorway when Catherine spoke to him."  
  
"Hey, Grissom," she said with a smile. "3 8 1."  
  
"I love you too," he said before walking away, leaving Greg standing there open-mouthed and looking backwards and forwards between Catherine and the doorway that Grissom had just walked out of.  
  
"Close your mouth, Greg," Catherine said with a laugh before she walked out the door. She smiled when she heard Greg practically dive for the phone and she knew that within minutes, everybody in the building would know about her and Grissom.  
  
"Well," she said to herself. "It certainly cuts down on how many people we have to tell."  
  
She was smiling as she walked away to find Grissom.  
  
The end?  
  
A/N: Did I mention how much I like getting reviews? 


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